Pictionary words

300 Pictionary words to draw

Start the night with Easy and Food so everyone gets a point on the board. Once people loosen up, mix in Movies and At a party. Idioms and Hard are where the best drawings, and the loudest arguments, come from.

How to play Pictionary

Pictionary is a drawing and guessing game for two or more teams. One player draws a word, their team guesses it before the timer runs out, and the team with the most points wins. All you need is paper, a pen per team and a word list like the one above.

1. Split into teamsTwo teams of two to five players work best. Each team gets a stack of paper or a whiteboard, and you agree on how many points wins the game. Ten is a good target for an evening.
2. Pick the drawerThe first drawer takes the phone, taps New word and reads it without showing anyone. Teams take turns, and a new person in the team draws every round.
3. Draw against the clockPress Start. The drawer has one minute and may only draw: no letters, no numbers, no talking and no acting it out. Pointing at parts of the drawing is fine.
4. Guess out loudThe team shouts guesses as often as they like. The drawer nods or points when someone gets close, and the round ends the second someone says the exact word.
5. Score and passA correct guess before the timer ends is one point. Then the next team draws. First team to the target score wins.

All play rounds

In the boxed game, some cards are marked All Play: one drawer from every team sees the same word and draws at the same time, and the first team to guess wins the round. Do the same with this page by calling every fifth word an all play round and showing it to one person from each team.

House rules and scoring options

The classic rules are strict on purpose, but most groups add a few of their own. Agree on these before the first round so nobody argues about them halfway through.

How to draw fast and win more rounds

You don't need to be good at drawing to win at Pictionary. The best players draw less, not better.

• Draw the setting first. For "Surfing", a wavy line and a sun tell your team it is the beach before you even draw the board.
• Split the word. "Lighthouse" is a light bulb plus a house. Draw both and point from one to the other.
• Use arrows. An arrow pointing at the one part that matters, like the eye on a face for "Glasses", saves twenty seconds.
• Stick figures only. Nobody guesses faster because the hands are right. A circle and four lines is a person.
• Start over when it isn't working. If nobody is close after 30 seconds, turn the page and try a completely different angle.
• For idioms, draw it literally. "Raining cats and dogs" is a cloud with cats and dogs falling out of it. The funnier the picture, the faster the guess.

How to make your own Pictionary word list

A custom list is the best way to make Pictionary feel like it was made for your group. Inside jokes, the office, the trip you all went on: they make the strongest rounds of the night.

• Nouns first. Objects and animals are the easiest to draw. Keep abstract words to about one in five.
• Test it in your head. If you can think of a drawing in three seconds, it is a good word. If you can't think of one at all, it is too hard.
• Add your own group. Places you have been together, a friend's famous dance move, the bar you always end up in.
• Mix lengths. One word for quick points, two and three word phrases for the big rounds.

Keep the night going